Rondo thinks he could have been an NFL player. (Getty Images)

There's been a lot of talk about how LeBron James would do as an NFL player. He played football in high school, and commercials depict him as a receiver. But James isn't the only modern player who thinks he could have made it in pro football.

From the MetroWest Daily News:

Well, he's fast. And he can pass, we know that. And he'd still be taller than most quarterbacks. Rajon Rondo played through a dislocated elbow once, so it's not like he can't handle pain.

Robert Griffin III is 6-foot-2, 215 lbs. Rondo is 6-foot-1, 186. Not crazy to think that he could have added 10 to 15 lbs. of muscle to play in the league. Rondo would make a good receiver with those freakishly huge hands of his, but you wonder about his frame and getting crushed going over the middle. He could be a pretty devastating safety though, considering how mean he can be.

One thing I really like here is that he says "could have" and not "could." Rondo could not make the jump now, just as no player could. It takes too much training, too much development in understanding plays and timing, working with coaches and teaching your body. Just as an NFL player couldn't leap into the NBA, Rondo wouldn't be able to catch up mentally with the knoweldge base necessary to play in the NFL. And Rondo's one of the more cerebral players in his approach in the league. It's just too hard.

But it's fun to think about.